Apparatus and method which enables fully recording a fragmented program even with an operation after initial few airings

Abstract

A broadcast storage unit 1 , which receives a program to be broadcasted digitally and records the program, includes a DeMUX processing unit 12 that acquires program information concerning a program to be broadcasted, an SI information analyzing unit 15 that extracts information on a new program from the acquired program information, a recording condition setting unit 21 that reserves the new program for recording based on the extracted program information, and a storing unit 17 that records the new program that is reserved for recording.

1. A program recording apparatus comprising:
 an information acquiring unit that acquires program information concerning a program to be broadcasted; 
 a determining unit that determines, from the acquired program information, whether the program is a new fragmented program which is divided into a series of airings; 
 a program reserving unit that automatically programs, when the program is a new fragmented program, recordings of a predetermined number of initial airings of the new fragmented program, based on the acquired program information; and 
 a storage medium on which programs are recorded. 
 
   
   
     2. The program recording apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the program information includes at least
 identification information for a channel through which the program is broadcasted; and 
 information indicating date and time of starting a broadcast of the program and date and time of ending the broadcast. 
 
   
   
     3. The program recording apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising an interface for receiving the program information via a network. 
   
   
     4. The program recording apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the broadcast is a digital broadcast in which additional information including the program information is transmitted with video and audio information, and 
 the determining unit utilizes the additional information. 
 
   
   
     5. The program recording apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a first detecting unit that detects a remaining recording capacity of the storage medium; 
 a second detecting unit that detects a size of the program for which the recordings of the predetermined number of initial airings is performed; 
 a judging unit that judges whether the remaining recording capacity is smaller than the size of the program for which the recordings of the predetermined number of initial airings is performed; and 
 a deletion control unit that deletes, when the judging unit judges that the remaining recording capacity is smaller than the size of the program for which the recordings of the predetermined number of initial airings is performed, a recorded program from the storage medium according to predetermined deletion conditions. 
 
   
   
     6. The program recording apparatus according to  claim 5 ,
 further comprising a deletion-condition setting unit that sets a priority order of deletion to the recorded program based on the acquired program information concerning the recorded program. 
 
   
   
     7. The program recording apparatus according to  claim 6 , further comprising a view-history storing unit that stores a view history which includes information on a category, start and end times, and a station ID of each of programs viewed by a user, wherein
 the deletion-condition setting unit sets the priority order based on the view history. 
 
   
   
     8. A program recording method comprising:
 acquiring program information concerning a program to be broadcasted; 
 determining, from the acquired program information, whether the program is a new fragmented program which is divided into a series of airings; 
 automatically programming, when the program is a new fragmented program, recordings of a predetermined number of initial airings of the new fragmented program, based on the acquired program information; and 
 recording, in a storage medium, the program for which a recording is automatically programmed. 
 
   
   
     9. The method according to  claim 8 , wherein the program information includes at least:
 identification information for a channel through which the program is broadcasted; and 
 information indicating date and time of starting a broadcast of the program and date and time of ending the broadcast. 
 
   
   
     10. The method according to  claim 8 , further comprising:
 receiving, via an interface, the program information via a network. 
 
   
   
     11. The method according to  claim 8 , wherein
 the broadcast is a digital broadcast in which additional information including the program information is transmitted with video and audio information, and 
 the determining step utilizes the additional information. 
 
   
   
     12. The method according to  claim 8 , further comprising:
 detecting a remaining recording capacity of the storage medium; 
 detecting a size of the program for which the recordings of the predetermined number of initial airings is performed; 
 judging whether the remaining recording capacity is smaller than the size of the program for which the recordings of the predetermined number of initial airings is performed; and 
 deleting, when the judging step judges that the remaining recording capacity is smaller than the size of the program for which the recordings of the predetermined number of initial airings is performed, a recorded program from the storage medium according to predetermined deletion conditions. 
 
   
   
     13. The method according to  claim 12 , further comprising:
 setting a priority order of deletion to the recorded programs based on the program information concerning the recorded programs. 
 
   
   
     14. The method according to  claim 13 , further comprising:
 storing a view history which includes information on a category, start and end times, and a station ID of each of programs viewed by the user, wherein 
 the setting step sets the priority order based on the view history.